Dwyane Wade clarifies tweet that appeared to show support of Nick Cannon's comments that were deemed racist
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade drew criticism early Wednesday for what appeared to be support of celebrity Nick Cannon, who was accused of making anti-Semitic comments that led to his firing from ViacomCBS.
Wade initially posted on social media, "We are with you, keep leading" in reference to Cannon. Wade later clarified his comments on Twitter. The earlier tweet has since been deleted.
"I want to clarify my now deleted tweet," Wade wrote. "I was not supporting or condoning what Nick Cannon specifically said, but I had expressed my support of him owning the content and brand he helped create."
Wade later wrote, "I was too quick to respond without being fully informed about his hurtful anti-Semitic remarks. As you all know I have ZERO tolerance for any hate speech!"
Cannon has been under fire since releasing comments Monday that had strong racial overtones. On a recent podcast, he referred to whites, Europeans and the Jewish as "savages." Cannon has since apologized.
"I hold myself accountable for this moment and take full responsibility because My intentions are only to show that as a beautiful human species we have way more commonalities than differences," Cannon wrote in a portion of a Facebook post.
Cannon was mostly known for his comedy improve series "Wild `n Out" that appeared on VH1. Viacom released a statement saying, "ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism," the company said in a statement Tuesday. It is terminating its relationship with Cannon."
Wade, who retired last years after 16 seasons and is a future Hall of Famer, has been among the Heat organization's biggest supporters of fighting against social injustice in recent months. He has spoken openly about the death of George Floyd, who died in May after being in custody of four Minneapolis police officers.
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